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Wiliam David George Gunter
May 9, 1922 - January 30, 2016
Burial Date February 12, 2016
Join us for a celebration of their lives, at 3:30pm, on Friday February12th at Minton House, 1070 Southgate St., (Cook Street Village) Victoria.
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GUNTER, WILLIAM David George, and THELMA Denise
Bill was born on May 9, 1922, and died on January 30, 2016, with his wife by his side. Bill was born in Sussex England, and is predeceased by his four brothers, Jack, Peter, Philip, and Richard. His younger sister Daphne lives in England.
When Bill was 14, he traveled with his elder brother Jack to Kenya, where he spent 3 years attending The Prince of Wales School in Nairobi. He returned to England upon the death of his benefactor, and soon after, enlisted in the RAF.
He was captured in Malaya in 1941, and spent the remainder of WWII in a Japanese prison camp in Java. (The movie “The Railway Man” depicts the deplorable conditions under which he survived for almost 4 years, until his release in 1945).
He met Thelma at the end of the war, and they were married in 1946.
Bill and Thelma were proprietors of two pubs in Stroud, before emigrating to Canada in 1957 with their two daughters, Stephanie and Sheridan. They made their home in Sarnia, Ontario for the next 58 years. Until his retirement, Bill worked at Polysar as a writer and editor of technical literature. After retiring, Bill and Thelma spent time in Florida, playing golf and socializing, and enjoyed sampling homes all over Sarnia. Bill was a devout cryptic crossword (and later Sudoku) enthusiast and delighted in challenging his mind.
In July of 2015, he came to spend his last 6 months with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren, in Victoria, BC. He enjoyed being around family, sharing meals and afternoon tea and biscuits. Bill was an avid bridge player and golfer, and loved to watch golf, tennis and boxing on TV. He held strong political views and was still making jokes and puns until the end of his life. He will be remembered for his incredible tenacity and fortitude, and his quick-witted sense of humour.
Thelma and Bill were married for almost 70 years, and it’s no surprise that they left the world within days of one another. They are survived by their daughters, Stephanie and Sheridan, their grandchildren Emma Leigh, Ben, Sean, Sarah, and Katy, and their six great grandchildren.
Join us for a celebration of their lives, at 3:30pm, on Friday February12th at Minton House, 1070 Southgate St., (Cook Street Village) Victoria.
Donations to your favourite charity, a message on this page, or a walk in the park with your favourite dog, would be nice ways to remember them.
